Jeanette Maxine Bland died on June 27, 2004 after a long battle with cancer. She was born on January 24, 1929 at Farmersville, Texas. Her parents were John Douglas (Si) Bickley, and Linnie Gladys (Kimzey) Bickley. Both her parents were members of pioneer Collin County families.After attending public schools in Farmersville, Jeanette graduated as valedictorian in 1946. She then attended Texas State College for Women, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry with honors in 1950.While working at Chance Vought Aircraft, she met her future husband, Richard Park Bland. They were married in 1953, and in 1957 they moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina where Richard earned a doctorate degree from UNC. They then lived in Baltimore where Richard taught statistics at Johns Hopkins. In 1963, they moved back to the Dallas area where Richard taught statistics at SMU.Jeanette was an avid genealogist and was a member of the Collin County Genealogical Society, along with several other similar groups. She served as editor of the Collin Chronicles, the quarterly for the Genealogy Society, for many years. She was also an active member of the SMU Women's Club, and one of the founding members of the Farmersville Historical Society.Jeanette's interest in Collin County history led her to compile and publish several books. One unique book is about African American history in Collin County. She mapped the I.O.O.F. Cemetery and created a database containing the names and locations of the people interred there (in the days before Jim Tipton invented Find-A-Grave).Jeanette is survived by her husband Richard; her sister Rita Roose and husband Afton; her nephew Kenneth Roose and his wife Robin and children Melanie and Bryan; her nephew Robert Roose and his wife Rose and children Rebecca and Christian; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.